Just an Illusion
by Princesa Lonni
Summary: After finding out her fiancee cheated on her, Lauren leaves Los Angeles for Las Vegas in hopes of leaving behind her past and starting anew with her newborn daughter. 6 years later she meets master illusionist Criss Angel and everything goes haywire.
1. Prologue

**This is my very first Criss Angel fanfic. In NO WAY do I know him or am associated with him. I am just a fan. I also do not own any recognizable persons within this story; I only own the OCs that appear within the chapters. Also take note that no events that take place in this story are true events, they are made up by me.**

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><p><em><span>Just an Illusion<span>_

_By: Princesa Lonni_

_Prologue_

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><p><em>May, 2005<em>

Have you ever had the feeling that something has gone terribly wrong? Well that's exactly how I feel right now, standing here in the middle of the living room I share with my fiancée, listening to the sounds emitting from the bedroom.

_What the fuck is going on right now?_

Curious as to what is currently happening; I slowly walk down the hall to the bedroom door. The sounds continued to get louder as I walk closer to the door. I feel my baby kick within my stomach showing me that she is concerned as well due to the stress that I am exuding. The feeling of tears wailing in my eyes makes its approach known as I grasp the door handle and turn. I push the door open and am met with the sight of my fiancée screwing some other woman. I feel my breath catch in my throat as I stare, unable to form words.

"Lauren," he calls but I turn on my heel and leave.

I cannot believe this. After everything we have been through together. After he proposed to me. After he and I are going to have a child together in a matter of a few months. He…he…he cheats on me.

"Lauren wait," he says as he grabs hold of my arm stopping me from continuing my walk to the front door.

"Why should I," I ask as I pull my arm out of his grasp. "Why should I listen to anything you have to say right now, huh?" Tears begin to stream from my eyes leaving trails of salt along my cheeks in their wake. "Why should I even stand here and remotely care that you want to try to work this out after what you've done to me, to us, to our unborn child?"

I can see the hurt beginning to cloud his eyes as he takes in my words. Good, he deserves to hurt just as much as I do right now.

"You shouldn't have to but if you let me explain…" he starts until I hold up my hand to silence him.

"No," I say as I pull my phone out of my pocket. "I won't listen to a word that you have to say now or ever. It doesn't change the fact that you cheated on me and because you have done that, you can have this back." I take off the diamond ring and throw it at him; hitting him in the face with it as I turn and walk out the door.

...

Walking down the sidewalk, I scroll through my contacts until I reach my mother's number. Pressing call, I place the phone to my ear. It rings four times before she answers.

"Hello," her cheery voice plays over the receiver.

"Mom," I say. I can hear my own voice cracking as the emotions begin to take over.

"Lauren," she says; all cheerfulness dropped instantly, "what's wrong dear?"

"Adam," I say trying to catch my breath, "Adam cheated on me. The engagement is off."

"Oh sweetheart I'm so sorry," my mother says; I can hear keys jingling like she is getting ready to leave. "Where are you?"

"I'm by the Shell a few blocks down from the house," I say as I sit on the bus stop bench.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," she tells me; the sound of the door slamming shut floating to my ear. "I'll have your brother go over there tomorrow and pick up your things. He's on his way home now."

"Great," I say sniffling a little as I wipe away the tears that ran down my cheeks.

"Alright sweetheart, I'll see you in a few minutes," she says before hanging up the phone.

I slip my Razor in my pocket as I sit in the in chilly night air and wait for my mother. What am I going to do?

…

High beam headlights shine on my face causing me to squint as I hold my hand up to look. I see my mother pull up beside me and instantly stand, making my way over to the car. Throwing open the front passenger's door, I step in and quickly secure myself and my baby. My mother begins to drive without a word.

We sit in silence for a few moments until I speak.

"Mom," I say looking over at her.

"Yes dear," my mother says keeping her eyes on the road.

"Would you mind if I stayed with you until after I have my baby," I ask hopeful.

"Of course you can dear," my mother says finally turning to look at me. She cringes at the sight. I guess I did more crying than I originally thought. "But what are you going to do after you have her?"

"Move to Vegas," I say looking out the window. "Vicky can help me for the first few months until I can find a job then I'll be on my own."

"Are you sure you want to do that," she asks.

"I have no choice," I say watching as the lights pass by and the scenery changes. "There is nothing left for me here. I want to start anew with my baby. I don't want to have to continuously deal with the horrible past I'm putting behind me. Of course we'll come and visit during the holidays though. That's a definite but I just want to escape all the heartache and pain that Los Angeles has engraved in me."

"That is understandable," my mother says. "As long as it is what you want to do then I'll stand behind you 100 percent of the way."

"Thanks mom," I say turning to look at her. "I needed that."

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><p><strong>Only a prologue. The chapters get much longer. Hope you all enjoy!<strong>


	2. Chapter One

_Just an Illusion_

_By: Princesa Lonni_

_Chapter One_

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><p>I wake clutching at my throat, panting for air. That dream felt so real, as if I were living it right then and there. I could feel Adam's hands around my neck, choking the life out of me; his maniacal laughter continues to echo in my ears. The cold, murderous look in his eyes will permanently be engraved into my mind's eye for the rest of my life. The feel of his calloused hands around my neck will forever live with me until the day that my life meets its end.<p>

"Momma," I hear a small voice call out to the right of me. "Momma are you okay? You were mumbling and screaming and breathing really hard. It scared me Momma."

I look over and see my daughter, Naomi looking up at me with worried emerald eyes; exact replicas of my own. I reach and pull her into my embrace, letting my nose rest in her soft strawberry blond tresses. The smell of lavender and jade fills my nose as I inhale the shampoo I washed her hair with the night before. I'm glad that I have her; always concerned and always willing to please.

"I'm fine baby," I murmur into her hair, "It was nothing more than a bad dream. Everything is just fine."

"But you sounded like you were dying Momma," Naomi whimpers, "I was so scared."

Oh how bad I feel for putting my baby through this, "Don't worry about me honey; everything is fine. Momma just had a bad dream, okay?" I feel her nod. "Good, now how about we get you dressed and ready to go shopping. We have Christmas presents to buy."

Naomi's head shoots up and she looks at me with large innocent eyes and a bright smile, "Really Momma? And can we put up the Christmas tree too?"

I smile, "Of course we can baby girl. Come, let's get you ready."

Naomi nods eagerly as she wiggles out of my hold and bounces off the bed onto the plush carpet floor.

I smile at her as I follow her lead and stand up off the bed. My smile grows as I watch her while she twirls around in circles making her night gown flare out at the hem.

"Are you having fun," I ask raising an eyebrow.

"Look Momma I'm a princess," she says with a smile.

I chuckle before I take her in my arms, "Yes you are, you're my little princess."

I hug her tightly before placing a small kiss on her temple and standing straight again. I take her hand in my own before heading towards the closet we share in our little one bedroom apartment. I pull the door open and peek inside, beginning my search for my daughter's attire.

I pick through her clothing, stopping every so often before I find exactly what I'm looking for, a red Hello Kitty t-shirt and the matching pants, "How does Hello Kitty sound to you today, Naomi?"

She looks up at me before she smiles, "I want to wear that, Momma."

I smile before I pull the outfit out and guide her over to our bed. I sit her up on the mattress before I pull her nightgown over her head, tossing it to the side.

Taking her shirt in my hands, I carefully place it over her head, pulling it down to cover her bare upper body. Next I pick up her pants and help her off the bed. She holds on to my leg as I put her in her pants, pulling them up to her hips before I button them.

"NiNi," I say as I pull her off my leg, "go get your socks and shoes on while Momma gets dressed, okay?"

"Okay," Naomi chimes as she bounces over to the dresser and pulls open her sock drawer.

I smile before turning and heading back to the open closet. I move to my section and begin my search for the day's clothing choice.

Picking through the large variety of clothing I had to choose from, I finally land on a pair dark blue skinny jeans with a large red rose stitched into the right thigh. I pull them out, laying them over my arm before I begin to search for a shirt to wear.

Not long after finding my pants, I find a red v-neck t-shirt and pull it out before heading toward my dresser.

"Momma, what stores are we going to?" Naomi asks from the bed.

"A few different ones," I answer as I pull open my drawer and begin looking for my black camisole. "We have to go shopping for your grandparents, your Aunt Vicky, your Uncle Marvin, and your cousins Esmeralda, Latvia, Sergio, and Diego. We've got a bit to do."

I pull my nightgown over my head and drop it to the floor before I begin to pull on my jeans.

"Ooh," Naomi says, "did you already get my presents though, Momma?"

I smile as I pull on my camisole then turn to look at her, " Of course I did. I got your presents on Black Friday; I just have a few more things to pick up for you."

Naomi's eyes grow wide as a smile cracks her lips, "Really Momma?"

"Yes sweetheart," I say before pulling on my shirt over my cami. "Now, let me get my shoes on and we'll leave, okay?"

She eagerly nods before jumping off the bed and pushing me towards the closet. I shake my head, this child is adorable.

We reach the closet and she removes her hands from my back, "Shoes, Momma."

I smile as I reach inside and find my black wedge boots with fur around the top of them, "Alright, I'll get ready because you asked."

She smiles before she happily skips out of our bedroom and into the hallway. I shake my head again as I pull on my boots; zipping them up to my calf before heading out the bedroom myself; grabbing my wallet and cell phone along the way.

I walk into the hallway and see Naomi standing there in her little black Derion coat, smiling up at me, "Hurry Momma!"

I smile at her eagerness before I walk over and pick up my long, black trench coat and pull it on over my shoulders. I then grab my keys off the key rack, "Let's go, NiNi."

Naomi smiles before turning and opens the door letting the cold December air into the apartment. We step out, me closing and locking the door behind us before we head down the stairs and into the parking lot. We walk over to my 2009 Chevy Malibu as I press the unlock button on my keys then the auto-start. I open the back driver's door of the car and help Naomi in; strapping her into the seat before I shut the door and head to the driver's seat. Stepping in, I close the door and pull the seatbelt over my chest. I place the keys in the ignition and turn it before backing out of my spot and heading off towards the Strip.

...

Naomi and I walk along the busy street; her hand wrapped tightly in mine as we head to the toy store.

"Momma are we going shopping for Latvia, Esmeralda, Sergio, and Diego first," Naomi asks as we walk into the store.

"Yes love," I say as I look down at her with a smile, "and, you get to pick out a single toy that I'll allow you to play with right now."

"Really Momma," Naomi asks with a smile.

"Really, really," I say releasing her hand. "Now go on and find your toy baby."

"Okay!"

She turns and runs towards the dolls and I smile before heading to the action figures to begin my search for the best gifts for my nephews.

...

I walk into my favorite toy store with a smile on my face around two in the afternoon. I love coming here because I get to interact with all the children that come in on a daily basis. It's a joy of mine that I don't intend to hide because just like magic, children are my passion; even though I don't have any of my own.

I walk towards the section with the dolls where I spot a little girl with strawberry blond hair pulled back in two pig tails admiring one of the dolls on the stand. She's a cute kid, I wonder where her mother is though?

I calmly walk over and lean down to look; my hair falling over my shoulders, tickling them lightly, "That's a very nice doll you're looking at there."

The little girl looks up and nods as she smiles at me, "I think she's very pretty. My Momma says that I can pick out one toy I can play with before Christmas."

"Wow really, do you like this one?" I ask pointing at the doll.

"Yeah, she's got on a very pretty dress," the child says. "She reminds me of my Momma too. She even has Momma's same smile."

"Really," I say; curious as to what this girl's mother really looks like. "May I ask your name?"

"Yep, I'm Naomi but my Momma and the rest of my fambily calls me NiNi," she says pointing to herself. She then smiles at me, staring at me with emerald green eyes, "What's your name?"

"I'm Criss, nice to meet you, Naomi," I say offering my hand to her. She takes it and shakes firmly before turning back to the doll and picking it up. I watch her for a moment as she admires the toy some more before an idea pops into my head, "Naomi do you like magic?"

Her eyes light up at my words as she looks up at me, "I love magic. I watch this show with my Momma on a channel she calls A and E and there's this guy on there and he does all this really cool stuff! I like his show, so does Momma and especially my Aunt Vicky. I think my Aunt Vicky is in love with the man on TV. She's been trying to get us to go to his BeLIEve show here in Las Vegas since I turned five." She holds up five fingers indicating the age.

I smile, she doesn't realize exactly who I am, "And what's this guy's name?"

"His name is Criss Angel," she says happily. "I like him a lot. He's really cool cause he can levitit, levitat..."

"Levitate," I offer raising a brow.

"Yeah that!"

I laugh a little before leaning down, "Can I show you something?"

"Yeah," she says with a smile.

"May I see the doll," I ask holding my hand out for it.

She nods eagerly as she hands it over to me. I take it, letting the stand rest in my palm before bringing my other hand to rest on its head. I slowly breath in, my hand shaking as I begin to lift the stand from my palm.

Naomi's eyes grow wide as she watches me; her smile large and entranced by what I am doing.

"Wow that's amazing," Naomi says as I lower the doll to my palm again and hand it back to her. "You're just like Criss Angel!"

I laugh again, "That's because I am Criss Angel."

She smiles brightly at me, large green eyes staring into my own, "Really? You're Criss Angel!"

"The one and only," I say.

She then opens her mouth to say something until...

"Naomi," I hear a woman call.

Both Naomi and I turn at the same time to see a blond woman that looked like an exact replica of Naomi walking towards us with four different toy boxes tucked under her arms.

"Oh there you are, Naomi," she says when she stops in front of us. She looks at me; her head tilts slightly to the left side, "Hello."

"Momma, Momma," Naomi says grabbing the end of her coat and pulling on it. The woman looks down at her daughter and smiles, "this is Criss Angel." She points at me with her free hand. "He made the doll I picked out levitat, levitit..."

"Levitate," her mother offers softly.

"Yeah that!" she says for the second time since I've met her.

"Well I'll be," she says before turning to me again. "Thank you for entertaining my daughter. She absolutely loves MindFreak so I'm sure meeting you has made her day. I'm Lauren, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you, Criss."

She holds her hand out to me in a friendly gesture and I take it, "A pleasure to meet you as well, Lauren. You have a wonderful daughter on your hands."

"Thank you," she says with a smile. "Come now, Naomi. We've still got more stores to go to. It was nice meeting you, Criss."

"You as well, take care," I say waving my hand as they head for the checkout center.

I shift my weight before turning and heading towards the section for the action figures. That woman is very... interesting... and beautiful.

...

As I sit wrapping presents in the living room of my apartment, my phone begins to ring beside me. I reach over and pick it up; looking at the caller ID. It's my sister, Vicky.

"Hello," I say after answering the phone and placing it to my ear.

"Hey Lauren are you and Naomi doing anything tomorrow night," she asks; I can hear paper rustling in the background.

"No actually," I say placing a piece of tape on the wrapping paper to hold it together. "Naomi and I were just going to stay home; why?"

"Well I bought tickets for tomorrow night's showing of BeLIEve and I was wondering if you would like to bring Naomi and come with me," Vicky says excitedly.

I sigh; she has been trying to get us to go to BeLIEve with her since Naomi turned five; a year and a half ago, I guess I can humor her this one time, "Alright but only because you already bought the tickets."

"Great, I'll be by your place tomorrow to pick you guys up at nine," Vicky said. "Tickets for the earlier show were sold out."

"That's fine," I say beginning to wrap another box, "I'll have Naomi and myself ready by the time you get here."

"Great," Vicky says before hanging up the phone.

I sigh once again before sitting the phone down beside me and go back to continuing my gift wrapping. What joy, my sister is taking me to see Criss Angel tomorrow once again. This should be fun.

...

Serenity. The very word means peace and that's just what my home brings; giving me the salvation that I need to think about things.

As I sit in my office, I glance around taking in all the pieces that I have had the privilege of collecting from the magicians that came before me and are my inspiration thinking about everything that happened to me today from meeting Lauren and Naomi to almost getting mobbed by a group of loyals.

A smile forms before I hear a knock at my door.

"Come in," I call looking back at it.

The door swings open and my brother JD steps in, "There you are."

"What's up, JD," I ask leaning back in my seat.

"Well we were going over the ticket sales for tomorrow night's BeLIEve performances and saw that both shows are completely booked," JD said leaning on the door handle. "There aren't any vacant seats anywhere in the theater."

Well I'll be damned, "That's amazing! This is the sixth time we've sold out this week!"

"We're doing good for this time of year," JD said. "Usually sales go down until after Christmas before they pick up again."

"It's our lucky break then," I say.

"Definitely," my brother says with a nod of the head. "Anyways, Costa and I are going to be heading out now. You get some rest. You've got two shows tomorrow so you need all the rest you can get."

I nod before pushing myself up out the seat.

"Alright Criss, see you later."

He turns and leaves, closing the door behind him. I glance back at the items I have placed in my office before stepping out the room and heading to my bedroom. Tonight just might be a long night.

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><p>So... how does everyone like the story so far? Does Lauren appeal to everyone's taste? I tried to make her seem as real as possible and not some super fabulous person that's living this great life and nothing can go wrong after leaving her ex-fiancee. That's generally how most stories go from what I've read in the past. I want to do something different since I believe in reality. Anyways, thank you for all the reviews. I greatly appreciate them. They let me know that people are actually reading my work which makes me feel really good inside. Anyways, until next time; ciao! And happy reading you lovely, lovely reader people out there!<p>

XOXO,  
>Princesa Lonni<p> 


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